Cable Leads the Way

In both Canada and the U.S. it’s the cable network operators who make up the largest part of the market, accounting for about 53 percent of all connections in Canada and 62 percent in the United States.

The largest cable multiple system operator (MSO) in the U.S.–and the country’s biggest provider of fixed broadband access by subscribers–is Comcast. The Philadelphia-based cableco leads the pack with 26.5 million customers, equivalent to a 23.7 percent market share. The company offers triple-play services across 39 states and the District of Colombia; its broadband services are marketed under the name Xfinity.

The MSO recently emerged as highest bidder in a battle to win control of the U.K. pay-TV and broadband provider Sky.

Comcast has been deploying DOCSIS 3.1 equipment, which offers downloads at peak rates of up to 2Gbps. Four-fifths of its infrastructure is already upgraded with the technology and it is expecting to cover the remainder by early 2019.

Charter in Second Place

The second-largest broadband provider in the U.S. is another cableco–Charter Communications–whichenlarged its operationsin 2016 through the dual takeover of Time Warner Cable (TWC) and Bright House Networks. It had 24.6 million customers at end-June 2018, up from 23.3 million one year earlier and just 5.7 million pre-merger.

This gave it 22 percent of the overall broadband market in the U.S.

Like Comcast, Charter has been deploying DOCSIS 3.1 equipment to achieve gigabit speeds on its network, with full coverage planned by early 2019.

Main Fixed Broadband Providers – U.S. & Canada

Country

Company

Access Technology

Subscribers

Market Share

Canada

Bell Canada (BCE)

DSL/Fiber

3,856,555

27.5%

Rogers Communications

Cable

2,370,000

16.9%

Shaw Communications

Cable

2,051,550

14.7%

Telus Corporation

DSL/Fiber

1,794,000

12.8%

Videotron

Cable

1,674,100

12%

Cogeco Communications

Cable

787,000

5.6%

United States

Comcast Corp (Xfinity)

Cable

26,509,000

23.7%

Charter Communications

Cable

24,622,000

22%

AT&T

DSL/Fiber

15,772,000

14.1%

Verizon Communications

DSL/Fiber

6,956,000

6.2%

Cox Communications

Cable

5,145,000

4.6%

CenturyLink

DSL/Fiber

4,906,000

4.4%

Frontier Communications

DSL/Fiber

3,863,000

3.5%

Cablevision (Optimum)

Cable

2,681,300

2.4%

Suddenlink

Cable

1,400,800

1.3%

HughesNet

Satellite

1,298,000

1.2%

Mediacom

Cable

1,251,000

1.1%

Windstream

DSL/Fiber

1,245,400

1.1%

AT&T is Largest DSL and Fiber Provider

Leading the way in U.S. copper and fiber-based connectivity–and in third place overall–is AT&T, with 15.8 million broadband customers as of mid-2018 and a 14 percent share of the market.

AT&T began upgrading its copper networks with fiber-to-the-node technology in 2006 and went one step further in December 2013 when it introduced its first fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) services.

Its gigabit-capable FTTH networks are now available to approximately 9 million buildings in 70 major metropolitan areas across the U.S. The telco plans to cover some 14 million premises in 84 metro areas. Its legacy copper networks in other markets are being upgraded with G.fast equipment to improve download speeds.

Verizon Communications is the next largest fixed ISP in the United States, with almost 7 million subscribers and 6.2 percent of the total market by June 2018.

In April 2004 Verizon completed the build-out of its ADSL networks across its wireline footprint and within three months initiated the deployment of a fiber access network under the brand name FiOS. Around 6 million of its subscribers are fiber-based.

In April 2004 Verizon completed the build-out of its ADSL networks across its wireline footprint and within three months initiated the deployment of a fiber access network under the brand name FiOS. Around 6 million of its subscribers are fiber-based.

North of the Border

The Canadian fixed broadband sector is led by Bell Canada (BCE), with around 3.9 million customers at the end of June 2018 and more than 27 percent of Canada’s ISP customers.

BCE uses a combination of DSL and fiber-based networks, while its two closest rivals, Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, both use cable infrastructure. They had 2.4 million and 2.1 million subscribers respectively as of mid-2018.

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Pete Bell

Pete Bell is a Research Analyst for TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database and also contributes to the daily CommsUpdate newsletter. He has a particular interest in wireless broadband and was responsible for TeleGeography’s 4G Research Service until it was integrated into GlobalComms.